KSEJnc.
                                       P.O. Box 368, Amherst, MA 01002
                                   (413) 549-5506 httpS/www.kse-ontine.com
       DESCRIPTION OF THE TECHNOLOGY

With support from the Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Pro-
gram, KSE, Inc., has developed a novel technology that
economically destroys airborne contaminants. The Ad-
sorption-Integrated-Reaction (AIR) Process  employs a
proprietary photocatalytic adsorbent that traps airborne
toxic contaminants on its surface. When illuminated by
ultraviolet (UV) light bulbs, the photocatalyst converts
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and microorganisms
to environmentally safe products at ambient temperature.
The AIR Process is a selective, energy-efficient, and eco-
nomic technique for indoor air quality control.

The use of UV light bulbs to photocatalytically destroy
pollutants provides simple controls. The unit can  be
turned on or off with the flip of a light switch. The ambi-
ent operating  temperatures result in low energy
consumption and low-cost operation. Ambient tempera-
ture AIR units can be constructed of fiberglass-reinforced
plastic, rather than the expensive  exotic  alloys used in
alternative high-temperature technologies.

Contaminated groundwater can be cleansed by air strip-
ping, and contaminated solids may be remediated  by soil
vapor extraction. However, these methods lead to emis-
sions of toxic air pollutants. Industrial  facilities also
produce emissions of hazardous air pollutants. KSE's AIR
Process destroys these emissions, at low cost and at ambi-
ent temperature. Contaminated ground-water first must
be stripped with air, and contaminated soil must be ther-
mally desorbed or vacuum extracted, all of which are cost
effective in combination with the AIR Process.

       SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TECHNOLOGY

The AIR Process has advantages over alternative air emis-
sions control options. The process has been dem-onstrated
to achieve 99.99 percent destruction efficiency of air emis-
sions in commercial applications and produces benign
products and completely destroys the contaminants, avoid-
ing the production of seconary wastes, as is frequently
found in activated carbon treatment.

The cost of the new emissions technology dependson gas
flow rate, contaminant type, and destruction  efficiency.
Operations and maintenance costs at one operating site
are estimated at $6,000, compared with $355,000 for dis-
posable carbon. It also can destroy contaminants that are
not economically treated by conventional technology, such
as vinyl chloride. No secondary wastes are produced, other
than spent caustic for high-concentration chlorinated hy-
drocarbons. The project-life cost of the AIR unit can be
less than one-tenth the cost of activated carbon, depend-
ing on inlet concentrations. The innovative air purifica-
tion technology offers orders of magnitude reduction in
costs compared to conventional control methods.

The photocatalysts developed for this technology are sig-
nificantly improved compared to the conventional titania
photocatalyst used historically for photocatalytic applica-
 . •   KSE's AIR Process uses a photocatalytic adsorbent to trap airborne toxic contaminants on its surface. When
    illuminated by UV light, the photocatalyst converts VOCs and microorganisms to environmentally safe prod-
    ucts at ambient temperature.
4-   The AIR Process achieves 99.99 percent destruction efficiency of air emissions in commercial applica-
    tions and offers orders of magnitude reduction in costs compared to conventional airborne contaminant
    control methods.
 •   The AIR technology can effectively destroy anthrax spores in heating, air conditioning, and ventilation
    systems.
4-   AIR units have been used at the Stamina Mills Superfund Site in Rhode Island, and in the International
    Space Station.

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                                                  Photograph of the first commercial photo-
                                                  catalytic unit for the destruction of chlorinated
                                                  hydrocarbons at the Stamina Mills Superfund
                                                  Site. The AIR Unit reactors are in the foreground;
                                                  the groundwater strippers and the soil extrac-
                                                  tion vacuum pumps are in the background.
tions. When destroying formaldehyde and carbon mon-
oxide, back-to-back comparison tests found that these
catalysts were orders of magnitude more active than tita-
nia.  For formaldehyde, for example, the Phase I
photocatalyst was shown to be 48 times more active than
titania. For carbon monoxide, the same photocatalyst was
shown to be 257 times more active than titania, at the
same operating conditions. The technology also is effec-
tive for the destruction of anthrax spores in heating, air
conditioning, and ventilation systems.

         COMMERCIALIZATION SUCCESS

A 700 ft3/min at standard conditions commercial unit has
been demonstrated at the Stamina Mills Superfund Site
in Rhode Island, and destroyed 99.99 percent of entering
contaminants. Another AIR unit has been  used in the
International Space Station to destroy ethylene (KSE
partnered with Orbital Technology Corp., in Madison, WI,
to develop an AIR Process unit capable of withstanding
travel to and from space).  Currently, AIR Process units
are commercially available for the elimination of chlori-
nated and mixed non-chlorinated materials. A unit for
removal of benzene, toluene, and xylene will  be avail-
able soon.

        AWARDS AND COMPANY HISTORY

            The AIR Process has been recognized by
            the 1997 SBIR Technology of the Year
            Award for Environment, Energy, and Re-
     jj.      source Management, as an innovative, new
    mijm    technology that results in the improvement
    |^K    of everyday life and the betterment of man-
            kind. The technology  also has been
recognized by the 1998 U.S. EPA Environmental Inno-
vator Award and the 1997 R&D Award as one of the 100
most technologically significant new products of the year.
EPA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program was created to assist small businesses in
transforming innovative ideas into commercial products. The SBIR Program has two phases—Phase I is
the feasibility study to determine the validity of the proposed concept and Phase II is the development of
the technology or product proven feasible in Phase I. EPA also offers Phase II Options to accelerate the
commercialization of SBIR technologies and to complete EPA's Environmental Technology Verification
(ETV) Program. For more information about EPA's SBIR Program and the National Center for Environmental
Research, visit http://www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir.

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